All posts by elly.rufer@gmail.com

SUGGESTED MESSAGE TO GOVERNOR

Uncategorized

As a [parent, caregiver, family member, self-advocate…],

 I’m grateful for the restoration of proposed funding cuts to OPWDD in the Assembly and Senate 2021-22 Budget bills as well as a COLA for nonprofit providers who serve over 90% of  people with IDD.This funding is desperately needed to sustain services for people with IDD.

I’m asking for your commitment and support throughout final budget negotiations by: 1) retaining the restored OPWDD budget cuts and COLA for nonprofit providers in the final budget and 2) Insuring that the additional Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentages (FMAP) temporary increase be spent on Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) as intended by Congress .

Individuals, families and friends across the state of New York are counting on your commitment to protect people with IDD.  We need you to defend our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

Vaccine Request to Gov. Cuomo

Uncategorized

March 3, 2021

Dear Governor Cuomo,

As members of the family organizations listed above, we are grateful to you and your administration for heeding our appeals and recognizing the increased vulnerability of people with I/DD to COVID infection and mortality, those residing in both congregate care settings and the community.  Thank you for including these residents in Tiers 1-A and 1-B for COVID vaccine access and you are surely preventing even more death and disease for our loved ones.  

We appeal to you to include the caregivers of the remaining 80,000 individuals with I/DD who live in the community in Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccination program. Many people with I/DD are cared for at home by a primary family member, single parent, or caregiver under 65 years of age.  Should these caregivers become seriously ill, they may not have anyone to care for their loved one at home.

Please help ensure that people with I/DD and their caregivers remain safe at home and in the community. We join with many other advocates and ask that caregivers for individuals with I/DD be included in Phase 1B of New York State’s vaccine allocation program.

Sincerely,

Elly Rufer on behalf of Self-Advocates and Family Groups Representing Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities across New York State

 

cc:

  • Dr. Theodore Kastner, Commissioner, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
  • Howard Zucker, M.D., J.D., Commissioner, NYS Dept. of Health
  • Kerri Neifeld, MSW, Assistant Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene